Apparatus for maintaining perishable articles in fresh condition



W. A. REICH ET AL Y APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING PERISHABLE ARTICLES IN FRESH CONDITION 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed. June 1, 1937 INVENTORS Wa/fer A. Rem/z {hm-l ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1940. w RElcH AL 2,218,488

APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING PERISHABLE ARTICLES IN FRES H CONDITION Filed June 1, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M? H I? E: 7 I Y,

ATTORNEY O 1940- w. A. REICH ET AL 2,218,433

MAINTAINING PERISHABLE ARTICLES IN FRESH CONDITION APPARATUS FOR Filed June 1, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 HNVENTORS Wa/fer 14. Remix, CkQ/w If. 50w

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1940 I APPARATUS PATENT OFFICE FOR MAINTAINING PERISH- ABLE ARTICLES IN FRESHCONDITION Walter A. Reich and Charles H. Smallwood, Kansas City, Mo.; said Smallwood assignor' to said Reich ApplicationJune 1, 1937, Serial-No. 145,712

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an. apparatus for maintaining perishable articles in fresh condition and moreparticularly to an apparatus of that character for supporting and displaying vegetables and similar articles, which are ordinarily subject to dehydration when exposedto air, and has for its principal object to provide a support for said vegetables and the like through the use of which dehydration of thevegetables and the like is retarded and the articles are kept in fresh,

- crispcondition.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide a support adapted for applying a mist over the articles supported, and to'effect evap- 15 oration of part of the mist for reducing the temperature ofthe articles and to prevent them from becoming water-logged.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, ashereinafter pointed out, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig; 2 is a vertical section through the apparatus on the line 2-2, Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a plan viewof the apparatus embodying the features of the present invention, parts of the fan housing and drain table being broken away tobetter illustratethe construction of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section through one of the sides of the apparatus on the line 4-4, Fig; 1. i

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section through the electrically controlled water valve, showing the wiring thereof.

Fig. 6 is a detail section through one of. the spray nozzles and impinging mechanisms.

Fig. 7 isla perspective view of a modifiedform of apparatus embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section through the 45 modified form of apparatus on the line 8 8,

Fig. '7. Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The present invention generally includes a producestand preferably in the form of a sup- 50 port I, Fig. 1, for displaying articles, a spraying mechanism. 2 l for moistening: the articles on display to retard dehydration of said articles and a fan mechanism 3, Fig. 2, the fluid medium from which is circulated over, through and under the 55 displayed articles for evaporating the moisture on the articles to reduce the temperature thereof and consequently preserve same for longer periods of time. p I

The support I includes a plurality of legs 4 preferably formed of angle irons'having laterally extending substantially vertical or upright flanges 5 and B which are preferably capped at their lower ends by suitable base plates 'I'(Fig. 4). The upper ends of the flanges 5 and 6 are interconnected in conformance with the shape of sup- 10 port desired, for example, a hexagonal support, as in the present instance, by angle irons 8 having horizontal flanges 9 seating on said upright flanges and vertical flanges l0 extending upwardly therefrom, the vertical flanges being bent inwardly upon themselves at their upper edgesas at I l to form downwardly opening seats for hooking upwardly extending flanges [2 of the display racks l3 thereinto, the racks being subsequently welded or otherwise secured to' the angle irons.

The racks l3, correspond in number to the spaces-between the corners of the supporting legs and extendupwardly at an angle relative to the legs l'in such a manner that baskets l5 or the like containing merchandise may be supported 2 in position fordirect observation from focal points some distance away. The upper edges of the racks l3 are suitably'secured together for adequately supporting the baskets of merchandise and may be providedwith downwardly extending flanges It for facilitating thesupport of the racks relative to each other.

Mounted on the corners of the support and extending, upwardly therefrom are spacer members l'l' which are preferably of arcuate cross-section to provide, in cooperation with the segmentally shaped cap members l8, seated on the leg members, storage and display compartments H) for canned goods or the like, not shown.

Mounted on the upper ends of the spacer mem- 40 bers' l9 isa substantially dish shaped, preferably sheet metal drainage pan member 20 having an upwardly offset peripheral rim 2| to which is secured a downwardly extending skirt 22, a reinforcing trim strip 23 being provided for coverdrainage pan, as at 29, for extension upwardly relative to the pan for supporting a hood 30 which preferably has a shape generally corresponding to the shape of the support I, the hood being provided with an outwardly and downwardly extending skirt 3| and a central substantially conically shaped deflector 32 mounted on the under face thereof for dividing and directing a forced air stream as later described. The supporting bars 28 are preferably of half the number of the corners of the support I and, therefore, in the present instance define a triangular. horizontal crosssection bounded by the points 33, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

A triangular skirt 34, Fig. 2, is provided which has its inside corner edges suitably fixed to the bars 28, the upper end thereof being in spaced relation to the hood 30, as determined by the spacers 35, which are mounted on the bars and rest on the top edge of the skirt. The side walls of the skirt 34 are inter-braced, as at 36, Fig. 3, and the lower end 31 thereof extends downwardly toward the pan for connections with alternate spaced corners 39, Fig. 1, of a further downwardly extending skirt for suspendingly supporting same. The skirt 40 preferably has the same conformation as the support I to provide side walls 4| thereon, the lower edges of which are spaced from and of smaller dimension than, but in alignment with, the sides 42 of the support.

The skirt 40 is provided at its lower edges with a peripheral outwardly extending flange 43 upon which the upper ends of foraminous containers, baskets or the like 44 are supported. The opposite ends 45 of the baskets 44 seat against and are supported by the rim and trim members 2| and 23 of the support I and the flange 43 being in upwardly spaced relation to the rim 2|, the baskets are arranged for displaying merchandise in such a manner that the merchandise may be clearly observed from focal points some distance away similarly to the merchandise in the baskets l5 previously described.

In supports of this character wherein vegetables and other articles are exposed to the air, the vegetables are constantly subject to dehydration which not only affects their salability, but also results in loss to the merchant because of shrinkage due to the loss of the moisture content. It has been found that to prevent excessive evaporation of the moisture content, the vegetables should be moistened by applying a mistlike spray thereto.

Suitable water supply connections, not shown, are mounted in the casing 25 and open outwardly therefrom substantially at the upper end thereof, as shown at 46 and 41, for extension upwardly along the inside of each of the side walls 48 of the triangular skirt 34 and then laterally through the walls for mounting nozzles 49 thereon, as particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

The nozzles 49 each consist of a housing having a jet opening 50 at the lower end and a threaded opening 5| at its upper end for mounting a threaded gland 52 which is provided with a threaded stem 53 having a needle valve 54 at its lower end selectively engageable in and through the jet opening 50 of the casing 49 for dispersing the stream of water emitted from the opening 55 of the water connections 46 and 41 and projecting the stream of water in a dispersed state onto a concaved baflle plate 56 spaced below the nozzle 49 and normally in alignment therewith.

The bailie plate 56 is provided with supporting arms 51 which are pivotally mounted on a horizontal pin 58, which in turn is pivotally mounted on the arms 59. The arms 59 are secured to a plate 60, the plate 60 being swivelly mounted by a connection 6| on an outwardly extending flange 62 at the lower end of each of the side walls 48 of the triangular skirt 34, the described construction of the bafile member permitting adjustment of the spray from the nozzle in any direction.

The spray of water emitted through the nozzles 49 is preferably controlled by a valve mechanism 63, Fig. 5, mounted in the water line 25. The valve v63 preferably consists of a casing 64 having a diaphragm 65 provided with an opening 66 in a vertical wall 61 of the diaphragm. A valve stem 68 is mounted at one side of the casing, and is provided with a head 69 at one end thereof within the casing which is engageable over the opening in the diaphragm in response to pressure of a coiled spring 70, mounted on the stem and engageable therewith and with a side wall of the casing. The stem is .retracted upon energization, in a convenitonal manner, of a solenoid l'l mounted thereabout for opening the valve and is permitted to close the valve opening upon breaking the solenoid circuit by means of a conventional, preferably bimetallic element 12, which is mounted in the solenoid circuit in such amanner that it curls and straightens in response to varying heat due to the electric current flowing through the element for breaking and completing the solenoid circuit to actuate the valve. I

While the spray of water described prevents dehydration of the vegetables, care must be used to prevent the vegetables from becoming waterlogged as this would detract from their salability to as great an extent as that due to their loss of moisture.

It is, therefore, desirable to combine with'the support, means for subjecting the vegetables to the spray and at the same time effect substantial evaporation of the moisture to thereby prevent the vegetables from becoming water-logged and for reducing the temperature thereof to consequently retain them in a better state of preservation.

In carrying out this feature of our invention, we provide the fan mechanism 3 which consists of a conventional motor and housing 13, Fig. 3, which is suitably mounted at the upper end of the water connection casing 25 in downwardly spaced relation to the head 30, but within the skirt 40, and which is energized by suitable connections mounted in the casing 26, conventional fan blades 14 being provided having a pitch suitable for directing fluid medium, such as air, upwardly toward the hood for deflection in the direction of the baskets containing the merchandise on display, the fan then drawing the downwardly flowing air upwardly from between the pan and baskets to continue its cycle of circulation.

The operation of our preferred form of apparatus for carrying out our invention is as follows: I

Merchandise, for example, vegetables, fruit and other perishable articles are placed in the baskets and arranged about the racks of the support in angular relation to the floor on which the support rests in such a manner that the merchandise may be easily viewed from focal points some distance away.

The baflie plates 56 of the spray nozzles are adjusted by merely pivoting or swiveling the: supports therefor relative to the triangular skirt flange and the needle valves 54 -are adjusted for directing spray thereupon and causing water flowingthrough the nozzles to spray desired' articles of merchandise on-display and disseminate moisture thereabout, excess moisture seeping through the articles anddropping onto the pan for disposalthrough the drainage outlet.

The fan-is then energized wl'iich' draws air from the room for direction upwardly, outwardly and, downwardly, ascontrolled by the, deflector within thehood' to circulate over, underand between the articles on display for evaporating moisture on the articles and consequently reducing the temperature of the" articles to maintain same in crisp, fresh and preserved condition. r V A substan tially iiat', preferably hexagonal hood it is mounted on the upper ends of the supporting bars 15 and downwardly extending skirt supporting bars 16 are mounted on the hood M preferably intermediate the bars 15, the bars '56 having bearing nuts 11, the inner edges of which are engageablewith a preferably annular ring which is suitably fixed at the upper end of a triangular skirt 19, the skirt 19being fixed to the bars 15 for suspension above the support- 13. The remaining structure of the skirt I9 and a skirt 8!] depending from the skirt I9 is substantially similar to the skirts of the preferred form of invention and will, therefore, not be described in detail,

In order to control the direction of flow of air or the like from the fan, which in the present instance is extended upwardlyto a point (9 tomaintain the hood BI in upwardly spaced relation thereto. A central opening 84 is provided in the hood 31 for feeding the fan with fluid medium such as air, for example from the room in which the apparatus is placed, and the peripheral edges of the hood are flanged outwardly and downwardly to form a hood skirt 85 for directing the air towardbaskets of merchandise mounted on the support 13, it being apparent that a portion of the air moved by the fan is directed exteriorly of the skirt 80 for contact with articles on display and that another portion thereof is directed interiorly of the skirt 8H for deflection bythe support into contact with the lower surfaces of the-articles.

A screen 86 is mounted over the drive shaft 81,

of the fan and is fixed to the bars 15 and to the annular ring, as shown at 88, Fig. 8, for fil- 1 is drawn from the room in which the apparatus tering air directed toward articles displayed on the apparatus.

In operating the modified form of apparatus for carrying out the present invention, it is apparent, upon energization of the fan, that air is placed through the opening in the hood 8|, the hood 14 preventing foreign objects from entering the interior of theapparatus and the screen further tending to filter air forced downwardly therethrough by the fan. A spray or mist from the nozzles shown is directed over the the supply of water to the articles.

upper suria'ceof the :merchandise on display and since the skirts which support the hoods and;

spray'nozzles are hollow and in spaced relation to the drainage pan, as shown, air is directed'to.

the drainage pan for deflection upwardly toward the bottom surfaces of the merchandise dis.-'

The modified form of apparatus thus permits the present invention to be employed. to effect the preservation of perishable articles over long periods r of time to thereby work a convenience and a-savingsto the merchant employingthis in-J vention.

Upon energization of the solenoid circuit, current passes through the circuit and heats the bimetallic element I2, at which time a differential expansion takes place in said element which is so arranged that the expansion tends to bend it away from the switch in the solenoid circuit, and thus break the circuit, whereupon the valve is free to close the water line opening in response to pressure of the spring and stop The bending of the element having caused the circuit to be broken the element 12 cools and straightens due to the differential contraction thereof to reestablish contact of the element with the solenoid switch to thus complete the circuit and effect retraction of the valve for again spraying the articles on display. It is apparent that the spray nozzles may be adjusted for controlling the amount of moisture supplied to the articles and that additional merchandise may be displayed in the trays and corner compartments below the drainage pan.

The principal advantages in an apparatus of this character over devices heretofore available for this purpose are that a maximum amount of merchandise is displayed for a given space, dehydration of perishable merchandise is retarded by supplying moisture thereto; and the mer-. chandise is prevented from being water-logged by the evaporation of excess moisture from the articles whichresults in the preservation of the articles for long periods of time.

In Figs. 7 and 8 we have shown a modified form of apparatus for carrying out our invention in which the support 13 is substantially similar to that shown and described in connection with the preferred form of invention. In the modi fied form of invention, however, the air deflecting hood andfan mechanism are changed.

, What we claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a produce stand, a support, container deflecting means adapted to act on said, air

stream to direct portions of said air stream over the several uppen \surfaces of said container members.

2. In a produce stand, a support, a container member disposed on said support and adapted to have air passed therethrough, a fan on said support, deflecting means on the support in the path of an air stream generated upon actuation of the fan adapted to direct said air stream in cooperation with said fan over, under and through said container member, and a protective hood mounted on the support in spaced covering relation to the fan.

3. In a produce stand comprising a support, a hollow member mounted on the support in upwardly extending relation thereto, a container member adapted to have air passed therethrough having opposite ends engageable with and supported by said support and hollow member respectively, and a fan supported in said hollow member, portions of the fan extending outwardly beyond said hollow member whereby the path of an air stream generated upon actuation of the fan extends over, under and through said container member and the interior and exterior surfaces of the hollow member for causing the airstream to contact all portions of thecontainer member.

4. In a produce stand, a support, foraminous containers arranged about said support, a fan on said support spaced above said containers and arranged to draw air from below said containers, deflecting means on the support in the path of an air stream generated upon actuation of the fan adapted to direct said air stream in cooperation with said fan over, under and through said containers, and means for directly wetting articles in said containers whereby action of said air stream evaporates. moisture on the articles to cool the same.

WALTER A. REICH.

CHARLES H. SMALLWOOD. 20 

